Closets
by Frankenstein's Bride
Summary: Seventeen-year-old Albus Potter has a secret. He's kept it to himself for over a year, but it has been eating away at him like acid eats at human flesh. When he doesn't think that he can make it through the year, he finds romance in an unexpected place. Yaoi/Slash. Rating is subject to change.
1. This is How it All Begins

**Title of Story: **_Closets_

**Rating of Story: **T _(Subject to chan__ge)_

**Warnings: **Language, Sexual References, mild Sexual Situations

**Title of Chapter: **_This is how it all begins_

**Rating of Chapter: **K plus

**Disclaimer: **_I do not own anything that has to do with he Harry Potter series; that belongs to the genius, Miss J.K. Rowling. I only own the characters that I have made up._

**Author's note: **Hello, and welcome to _Closets_! This is my first fanfiction on this site. Yes, the rating might go up to M; it all depends on what my mind thinks up. **CAUTION: THIS FANFICTION CONTAINS BOYxBOY ROMANCE. **If I get any flames saying that they don't like this, I warned you. The information above might change from chapter-to-chapter, so keep looking up there.

...

_I can't believe I've actually made it this far. _Seventeen-year-old Albus Potter thought as he gazed at the scarlet Hogwarts Express. Inside the compartments, he knew that there were younger students lounging around, not having to care about their future. As a seventh year, Head Boy, and Quidditch captain to boot, Albus would have a much more advanced year- not that he was complaining.

Sure, all those titles mean loads of homework, planning, and herding the first years around, but it would all be worth it. Seventh years get more freedom, in the terms of a later curfew, more dates into Hogsmeade, and smaller class sizes.

"Albus, come here." His mother, Ginny, coaxed. Albus turned around to find his family looking at him, seeming slightly concerned.

"Is everything alright?" Harry Potter, his father asked, pulling his youngest son into a half-hug. Albus looked up into his father's bright green eyes, much like his own.

Albus nodded. "I'm just thinking about what'll happen once school's over." Ginny looked at him tenderly.

"Don't worry about anything, Al." She comforted, giving him a hug that only mothers can.

"Where do you think the Weasleys are?" Harry wondered, changing the subject. "They're not normally late, not if Hermione can help it."

Albus smiled. His Aunt Hermione was almost always punctual, and she attempted to keep Uncle Ron, Rose, and Hugo in line. It didn't seem like she was victorious this time, however, as the four of them rushed through the barrier, looking flushed and anxious.

"Sorry we're late!" Hermione gasped, pushing her son Hugo's cat basket into his arms and turning him towards the Hogwarts Express. "Traffic was bad, and Merlin knows why."

Rose gave Albus a small smile, rolling her eyes at her mother's excuses. Albus and Rose had been best friends ever since their first year at Hogwarts; they shared everything with each other. Hugo, however, was another story. Sure, Albus liked his male cousin, but he was a different year and wouldn't understand much of what was going on in Albus' life.

The Hogwarts Express let out a puff of smoke, warning any passengers still on the platform that it was leaving within the next five minutes. Albus gave his mother a quick peck on the cheek and hurried after Rose, dragging his trunk and owl cage behind him.

Once on the train, Albus and Rose made their way over to the prefect and Head Boy/Girl compartment, where they were supposed to give instructions to the prefects underneath them.

Albus hadn't expected to be named Head Boy. He had average grades, earning mostly Es on his OWLs, with two Os in Defense Against the Dark Arts and Charms, plus an A in Transfiguration. Rose, of course, was the girl who everyone knew was going to be Head Girl. Her grades rivaled her mother's, and she was spectacular in all subjects.

When Albus had discussed this with her, she told him, not so modestly, that instead of picking another academic phenomenon, they most likely chose someone with a sense of leadership and a slightly intimidating attitude.

Albus, admittedly, _was _a bit intimidating. Around fifth year, he had gone from a slightly pudgy, hormonal teenager to an individual seemingly more fitting to hold the title of Gryffindor Seeker. He shot up like a weed, passing most of the student body in height. His jet-black hair, much like his father's, was still unruly, but it seemed to fit him better when he was six feet tall.

Now, he was considered 'hot' and 'sexy' by more than half of the female Hogwarts population, and that bothered him. See, Albus Potter didn't like girls. Albus Potter liked guys, something that hat followed him around like a dark rain cloud ever since he had made amends with himself the previous year.

No one knew, of course. Well, no one except Rose. She found it intriguing that they could have so-called 'girl talks' about guys they found attractive, however reluctant Albus was to do so. Albus had sworn her to secrecy, warning her that if she told anyone, he would personally hang her from the Great Hall ceiling by her toes.

The cousins entered their compartment to find the fifth, sixth and other seventh year prefects lounging and lazily gossiping. Rose cleared her throat when no one noticed the Head Boy and Girl enter, and all heads turned to the pair.

"Alright," Rose started, her eyes scanning the faces in the compartment as Albus easily lifted his and her trunks into the shelves above them so they wouldn't get in the way. "I have the information from Headmaster Rosenthal right here. Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors, you can go to Albus for your instructions. Ravenclaws and Slytherins can stay here, with me."

After all the prefects had been dismissed to their duties, Albus slid the compartment door closed as he and Rose stepped into the hallway of the train. "I didn't realize how much information the Head Boy and Girl have." Albus remarked as the pair searched for the compartment that held their various relatives. Finally, at the end of the train, they found them.

"Hello," Albus greeted as he took a seat next to his younger, fifth year sister, Lily. She was deeply immersed in a game of Exploding Snap with Aunt Fleur and Uncle Bill's youngest child, sixth year Louis. Rose chose to sit next to her brother, Hugo, who was in the same year as Lily.

"Have you seen Roxanne or Fred?" Louis asked, hardly looking up from the precariously perched house of cards in front of him. Roxanne Weasley and Fred Weasley were the fourth year twins of Aunt Angelina and Uncle George. Fred was well-known to take after his father, being a prankster of sorts, but he took after his mother in looks with his dark hair and tinted skin. His sister, however, was exactly the opposite. She was demure and ladylike, and set to be the Head Girl of her year, with the trademark Weasley ginger hair.

Louis Weasley, as the only son in a family of Veela-like girls, was a mix between his two parents. He had received Aunt Fleur's smooth, porcelain-colored skin and large blue eyes, but he also had a lighted version of his father's hair, a pretty strawberry blonde. Due to the fact that both of his sisters were extremely fashion-conscious, Louis had a taste for the finer things in life. He was popular with the girls in his year.

People often mistook Hugo and Rose as twins, something that Rose took as an insult. They both had a darkened version of their father, Uncle Ron's, bright red hair, and Rose had gotten Aunt Hermione's voluminous texture, but it suited her tall and willowy stature.

Hugo resembled his father in personality type almost as much as his sister resembled their mother. He was a laid-back, Quidditch-loving type of person who got along with almost everyone.

Lily, Albus' sister, didn't take after anyone in their family; she had a look and a personality all her own. Instead of her mother's ginger hair or her father's black hair, her locks were a lovely auburn color. She played Quidditch with a ferocity much like Ginny's when she played for the Holyhead Harpies, but she wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed.

Albus himself, well, it wasn't easy to put what he was into words. Sure, it was simple enough to describe himself, but that wouldn't come near to what he actually felt inside. On the outside, he looked like an average, albeit good-looking, seventeen-year-old male. He had jet-black hair that always looked like he had just gotten off of a broomstick, and bright green eyes.

On the inside, however, Albus felt like he had a never-ending vortex of emotions as a heart. One minute he could be unicorns-and-rainbows happy, and the next he could be cowering in the corner, sobbing his eyes out. When his parents had noticed his violent mood swings, they explained to him that he had a supposedly Muggle-only disorder called _bi-polarity_. He kept that under wraps, too.

In all his in-the-closet-gay, bi-polar glory, Albus Severus Potter was a very complex person.

…

"It feels good to be back at Hogwarts, doesn't it?" Rose sighed as she and Albus rode alone in the special Head Boy and Girl coach. Albus shot her a look.

"I guess." He mumbled, glancing out at the nearing castle that was their school.

Rose nudged him. "Come on, Al. Be a little excited about something that isn't Quidditch for once. This is our final year here. We might as well enjoy it." She smiled encouragingly.

Albus looked at his cousin. "Sorry Rosie, I'm just tired. You know I'll be happier once the school year actually starts."

"That's good. Look, here we are." Rose announced needlessly as the coach clattered over the bricks in front of the Entrance Gate. When it stopped in front of the Great Hall, the two cousins clambered out and strode after the other Hogwarts students.

Albus and Rose entered the castle to find Professor Longbottom, a good family friend, ushering younger students into the Great Hall. Rose gave him a smile, and Albus nodded politely.

The pair took their seats at the Gryffindor table next to their relatives, and waited for the first years to come forward to be Sorted. The Sorting Hat sat, ragged and frayed as ever, sat on a three-legged stool, looking quite menacing. The first years filed up, nervous eyes twitching, up to where they stood before the Head Table.

"We weren't that small when we were first years, were we?" Lily whispered, looking genuinely puzzled. Rose rolled her eyes, while Hugo snorted. Roxanne looked like she was about to say something, but was cut off by Headmaster Rosenthal standing up and tapping her fork on her goblet.

"Attention, Hogwarts students," she called, looking down on the four tables as if she could read their minds. Headmaster Rosenthal, Albus would admit, was scary. Her piercing blue eyes were like shards of ice that could freeze you with a single glance.

As the Sorting Hat began its song, Albus reminisced about his own Sorting. As he had predicted, the Sorting Hat had tried to place him into Slytherin, but he had argued with it just as his father said he had done. In the end, the Sorting Hat had conceded and Sorted him into Gryffindor with his brother and older cousins.

Throughout the entire Sorting, Albus whispered with Rose about what they should do when it was over. Well, it was mostly Rose whispering, and Albus thinking about what he would have for supper.

…

"Alright, first years! Follow us!" Rose called over the table, motioning with her hand for them to follow her. Several nervous-looking students stood up and cowered beside each other up to the Head Boy and Girl. Rose smiled at them, and elbowed Albus to do the same.

"Okay, as your Gryffindor prefects, even though we are also the Head Boy and Girl, we are going to show you the way to the Gryffindor common room, where your dormitories are. Be sure to pay attention so you don't loose your way later." Rose announced, looking and sounding like you would expect a Head Girl to sound.

The mass of Gryffindors trooped up the multiple flights of stairs to the Fat Lady portrait. Rose said the password, _Unicorn Horn_, while Albus told the first years that they'd better remember it, or else they'd be sleeping outside of the common room that night. Several first years shivered at the thought of having to sleep on the cold stone floors of the Hogwarts hallway.

Once inside the common room, Albus and Rose gave a quick tour, then bid the first years goodnight. The Head Boy and Girl watched the rest of the house come in and out of the common rooms, and then parted ways for their own dormitories.

Albus entered his dormitory, breathing in the familiar scent of broomstick polish and his roommate's cologne. Speaking of roommates, Tobias Boot, Henry Thomas, Liam Benson, and Ben Edgecombe were lounged around their dorm room, discussing various topics.

"Hey, Head Boy!" Tobias called teasingly. Albus smirked at him, but didn't look him in the eye. Tobias had utterly gorgeous hazel eyes, something that Albus found that he couldn't resist. The other boys shouted their congratulations, and Albus found it awkward to have all the attention put on him.

Trying to get everyone's eyes off of him, Albus slid into his four-poster bed quickly, and drew the curtains around himself.

...

**Author's Note: **Alrighty then, there's the chapter. If you liked it, please leave me a review. I always write longer chapters when I have motivation. If you found mistakes, feel free to point them out. In the following chapters, I won't leave such long author's notes, so don't worry if you find them bothersome.

Toodles!


	2. When an Image is Formed

**Title of Story: **_Closets_

**Rating of Story: **T _(Subject to chan__ge)_

**Warnings: **Language, Sexual References, mild Sexual Situations

**Title of Chapter: **_When an Image is Formed_

**Rating of Chapter: **T (For one curse word)

**Disclaimer: **_I do not own anything that has to do with he Harry Potter series; that belongs to the genius, Miss J.K. Rowling. I only own the characters that I have made up._

**Author's Note: **Hello again, and thank you for all the wonderful reviews! I had meant to stay on a Friday-weekly-update schedule, but I'm going on vacation tomorrow so I decided to update today. I hope you enjoy!

...

"How long have you been here, Al?" Rose asked as she joined her cousin at the Gryffindor breakfast table.

"I don't know, ten minutes, maybe?" Albus replied, chewing his jam tart. He had actually woken up much earlier than that, because the guys in his dorm changed in front of each other, and he wasn't sure that he was comfortable with that.

"Uh huh," Rose breathed as if she didn't believe him. Knowing her, she probably didn't. "Anyways, have you seen the schedules yet? You could pick yours up on the Gryffindor notice board." She pulled out a new piece of parchment.

"Yeah, I did. What do you have first?" Albus asked, glancing at his slightly jam-splattered schedule.

"Potions with Professor Jenkins. That's not that bad. Oh, and then double Ancient Runes! Yes!" Albus' cousin cheered as she found her favorite subject.

"I've got Potions with you, but I don't see why you like Ancient Runes. Instead I have a free period, followed by Transfiguration and double Charms. After lunch I have double Herbology. Ugh, at least Professor Longbottom is nice. Lastly, I've got Defense Against the Dark Arts." Albus shrugged. "It's not that bad of a day."

"I'm with you in all those subjects." Rose said as she dug into eggs and toast.

The rest of the Gryffindors eventually joined the pair, ranging from slightly tired looking to downright asleep. The Great Hall began to fill up, therefore making it louder and louder. When Rose asked Hugo to pass the salt shaker, she had to yell. Albus had his breakfast finished early, and he waited for Rose to finish hers so neither of them had to walk to Potions alone.

Once Rose had taken the last bite of her toast, she stood up and tugged Albus out of the Great Hall.

"What's this all about, Rosie? We've got plenty of time to get to the dungeons." Albus asked his cousin, a puzzled look on his face.

"I want to know why you were up so early. It can't be good for you to get so little sleep. You still look half asleep!" Rose exclaimed, her dark red hair bouncing up and down as she strode briskly through the hallways.

"I just woke up early, it's no big deal." Albus turned away from Rose so she couldn't look him in the eye. He was a horrible liar and he knew it, and Rose knew it too.

"Merlin, Albus, don't give me that crap again. This happened last year too, and I had to pry it out of you that you were gay. I-"

"Shhhh!" Albus hushed her, looking around nervously to see if anyone had heard Rose's loud proclamation. "I might as well run around wearing a sign that says _'I'm gay' _on it all day!"

"Sorry," Rose winced. "But still, you should be getting a good night's sleep. It's going to be a big year for all of us."

"I know that you're right, Rosie, but I can't. It's not that I don't want to," Albus added quickly as Rose opened her mouth to say something else, "But it's that I physically can't. If you had feelings for the other girls in your dorm and they changed in front of you every morning, could you stand it?"

Rose shook her head, looking thoughtful.

"See, you get it. If I was in there while they were changing, and I caught a glimpse of something that shouldn't be shown in public, then I think I might crack." Albus confessed, looking down at the ground as his face flushed a light pink. "I want to keep my sexual feelings from the general public."

"I think people might notice the fact that you haven't had a girlfriend. Or even a one-night stand." Rose told her cousin. "They might start making assumptions."

"They might, but who would believe that Albus Severus Potter, son of Harry and Ginny Potter, Head Boy and Quidditch Captain would harbor secret feelings for members of the male population?" Albus deadpanned, totally serious.

Rose sighed. "I suppose you're right, Al. But, I'd still be careful. You don't know how quickly news gets around in Hogwarts." She lowered her voice as they entered the Potions classroom, where Professor Jenkins sat at his desk, awaiting his students' arrival.

"Hello, Rose. Hello, Albus." He greeted with a cheerful wave. Rose smiled and said hello back, while Albus gave him a brief nod and a small grin.

"You can choose your seats and partners this year, but be sure to choose wisely, or I'll be forced to change them." The gray haired man warned, looking at the cousins sharply.

"Yes, Professor," Rose and Albus replied in unison, choosing the back center table. As the other students filed in, Rose began to unpack her Potions ingredients, while Albus surveyed everyone with narrowed eyes.

"Stop staring at everyone that comes in the door, Albus. It comes off as intimidating." Rose whispered, giving him a nudge on the shoulder. Albus backed off on the glares, but still noticed everything about everyone that came into the room. Well, everything about every bloke that came into the room.

Just as Professor Jenkins was about to take attendance, a blonde boy that Albus didn't recognize darted into the room, taking a seat next to a Slytherin boy.

"Rose, who's the blonde?" Albus whispered to his cousin, his eyes not leaving the late addition to the class.

"That's Scorpious Malfoy, of course. You've had classes with him before. He was in both Transfiguration and Defense Against the Dark Arts last year." Rose replied as Professor Jenkins began to read off names.

"That's _Malfoy_? I don't remember him looking like that." Albus replied in an awe-filled voice.

Rose smirked. "Apparently he's a late bloomer. He's very attractive, don't you think?" Albus only nodded as Malfoy's name was called. "I think you like him." She said teasingly.

Albus managed to shake himself out of his trance as his own name was called. "I do not." He answered indignantly.

Rose smiled, and then chirped a quick, "Here!" when Professor Jenkins read her name off the list.

Professor Jenkins instructed everyone to read the notes on the board to figure out what type of potion they would have to create, then find it in their book, and then successfully make in with their partners. Albus immediately looked to Rose, who was already scanning the board.

"I think we have to make a Dreamless Sleep Potion. The clues say that the subject at hand has suffered fatigue due to the nightmares that he or she has been having. It would be best if we started now, because this is quite a time-consuming potion." Rose announced, flipping through her Potion's book.

"Alright, here we go. You can get the dragon scales and the shrivelfig from the supply closet, I seem to be out of those." She ordered, and turned back to the instructions in her book.

Albus stood up wearily, yawned, and slowly made his way to where Professor Jenkins kept extra ingredients in case someone was out. It was just his luck that there were still some dragon scales left, and he grabbed plenty of shrivelfig. As he turned to return to Rose, he found himself nose-to-nose with Scorpius Malfoy. Before this year, it wouldn't have been possible to do so, seeing that Scorpius had always been short and a bit chubby.

However, it seemed as if he had finally lost his baby fat over the summer, and he had shot up several inches just as Albus had done in fifth year. Albus found himself drawn to the boy's face, which was all sharp, aristocratic angles. His nose was pointed, his cheekbones were pronounced, and his eyes were a sparkling shade of silver.

Before he could be caught staring, Albus turned away, looking at the ground. He hardly got three steps when he interrupted by Rose coming up to him, snatching the ingredients out of his hands, and returning to her seat.

"What was that for?" Albus asked, bewildered once he joined her.

"I needed the shrivelfig. It has to be added at the correct moment, or else the potion won't work correctly." His cousin replied, gritting her teeth. "Plus, you shouldn't be dawdling. I don't want to fail this class!"

Albus sighed, rubbing his forehead. He couldn't get the image of Scorpius' face out of his head, and Rose could sense that something was up. She shot him a warning look and told him, "Just forget about Scorpius for a second. Yes, he's incredibly handsome and I know that someone like you is a sucker for a bloke's eyes, but you need to concentrate!"

"I've got it, Rose. What do I need to do now?" Albus asked, laying his head on his hand and yawning.

"_Concentrate_, Albus! There's no time to be tired! Add three pinches of the ground wild garlic, and make sure that the liquid turns a dark yellow color." Rose instructed, turning back to where she was chopping up caterpillars.

Albus did as he was told and added the garlic, and watched at the potion changed from green to dark yellow. Potions never ceased to amaze him in their talent to change so quickly.

Rose dumped the caterpillars into the mixture and stirred it three times counterclockwise, and then five times clockwise.

"Alright, now we have to wait ten minutes while it simmers, and then we can add the remaining ingredients." She announced, setting a timer. "Meanwhile, we can weigh the dragon scales and discuss your feelings."

Albus groaned. "Please no, Rose. I'm fine with the dragon scales, but do you really have to go all _'I-say-that-I-want-to-help-you-but-I-really-just-want-to-know-things-that-no-one-else-knows' _on me?"

"Yes, I do, Al. You wouldn't have come to terms with yourself about _certain things_ if I hadn't prompted you to do so." Rose shrugged her shoulders. "Besides, it's not good to keep your feelings bottled up inside you all of the time."

"You've told me this millions of times, Rose! I honestly think that you should let me think things over with myself. And, if we were to talk, it wouldn't be in the middle of a crowded Potions classroom!" Albus exclaimed just as the buzzer went off on Rose's timer.

"We'll talk about this later." Rose promised him.

**…**

The rest of the Potions class was uneventful. Rose had, of course, concocted a brilliant Dreamless Sleep Potion, and they both received top marks for that class. Also, Rose had no chance to talk with Albus, because she was distracted by the promise of Ancient Runes next period. She bid her cousin a cheerful farewell and practically skipped away.

Rolling his eyes, Albus decided to check in with Professor Longbottom if there had been any people sign up to try out for the Quidditch team. Once down near the greenhouses, Albus spotted a familiar blonde head that he had been staring at all of Potions class. Scorpius Malfoy.

Albus wanted to turn around and find another route to Professor Longbottom's office and avoid any awkward confrontations, but there was no other way. Albus sighed and resigned himself to the fact that anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. He braced himself for a troublesome conversation.

Just as he had predicted, Scorpius sensed someone behind him, and turned around. He saw Albus there, and stopped with a puzzled look on his face until the other boy caught up to him.

"Why are you following me?" Scorpius got straight to the point, and began to walk beside Albus.

"I'm not following you. I'm on my way to see Professor Longbottom about Quidditch sign-ups." Albus protested, blushing a soft pink.

"Oh. Well, so am I." Scorpius replied, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"You're the Quidditch captain this year?" Albus asked, turning to look at the blonde boy, confusion written all over his face.

Scorpius chuckled. "It's a surprise, isn't it? I suppose that I was the best person for the job, seeing that the best players from last year are gone now." He reasoned.

"So you'll be returning as Seeker, right?"

Scorpius nodded. "Right. I'm also going to put together the best Quidditch team that Hogwarts has ever seen, so you'd better watch out."

"You're not full of yourself at all, are you?" Albus muttered sarcastically, just out of the earshot of the other boy. "We'll see about that." He answered louder, making sure that the Slytherin got the message. Yeah, Albus had a bit of a crush on Scorpius, but Quidditch was more important, and he didn't want to be going soft.

The pair walked in silence until they reached Professor Longbottom's personal greenhouse/office, and found their corresponding sign-up sheets. It seemed to Albus that the whole Weasley family had signed up, with Lily and Hugo as Chasers, and Fred and Louis as Beaters. Although Rose hadn't signed up yet, Albus knew that she would try out for Keeper, as she had done since fifth year.

"It looks like your entire extended family has signed up." Scorpius remarked.

Albus shot him a sharp look and hid the sheet from the other boy's view. "No looking, that's almost the same as spying on tryouts."

Scorpius rolled his eyes. "Give it up, Potter; you were a bit late with hiding it. You should be a bit more careful with the Captain of an opposing team in the same room." He smirked, gave Albus a sly look, and departed from the room.

And with that, the shining image that Albus had of Scorpius Malfoy shattered into a million pieces.

...

**Author's Note: **Thank you for reading. Don't forget to review and keep reading!

-Frankenstein's Bride.


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